The Runaway
by RepeatThatAgain
Summary: After Annabeth Chase, a 19 year old college drop-out runs away from her family, she was spotted by part-time worker Percy Jackson, but she was asleep when he came. Taking her home with him, Percy leaves her with his mother and younger brother Tyson. When they actually meet with eye contact, how will they react to the-boy-who-saved-the-girl and the-girl-who-was-rescued. AU. OOC.
1. Chapter One - Getting Away

**Hey peoples! There are so many stories that are popping in my mind and this is one of them. **

**Firstly, I have to say that my brother A.K.A BelieveThatDude, takes credit for half of the story…Well, yeah, I have to say it because he would beat my arse if I didn't so…yeah. **

**And secondly, I love making new stories, it's just so amazing and cool and imaginative! **

**I just hope you guys would love this one.**

* * *

**The Runaway**

Chapter One – Getting Away

**Annabeth's POV**

You think you know someone because you've lived with them for like, nineteen years but no, no, no. That's not true. My dad, my very own dad, betrays me at the last second. Yes, he left me, he dumped me, and he threw me out. I feel just like Hansel and Gretel except I'm all alone and I have nowhere to go. Yep, you guessed it, I'm homeless, a poor and hungry loner.

If you'd like to know my story, then it all started when my parents got divorced…

"_Annabeth honey, you'll be staying with your dad for…quite some time." My mother spoke in the calmest voice I've ever heard._

"_What about Malcom and you mommy?" I asked, looking clueless. Obviously because I was only 3 years old. _

_A boy who looked similar to me (same blonde hair and grey eyes) stood next to my mother, he was recognised to be Malcolm. He was only 2 years older than me so he was 5 and looked as scared as I was._

_My mother ran her hand through my growing, long, blonde hair and gave a slight smile. "We…We're going to be going on a faraway trip for quite a while." She was struggling to stay still and keep herself from crying. "Just promise me you'll be a good girl and study hard, okay?" _

_I nodded slowly and tears started to slide down my cheeks. Wailing in pain, I ran into my mother's arms and cried tears out. That was the last time I ever saw my mom and Malcolm. The last time I saw them cry, smile, frown, walk away and disappear. _

_After 5 years, her father remarried a waitress at Taco Bell. The lady seemed nice at first but when things got serious and she was pregnant, everything went downhill. Mary, the step-mom, treated me like crap and only cared for her _own_ children. _

And you'll know what I mean from then on, it just ends up like Cinderella without the prince Charming and happy ending. I just runaway and leave the sick place, not letting anyone know, well except the fact that my twin half-brothers, Mathew and Bobby, saw me leave the house.

_Oh well._

It's not like they actually _knew_ anything. They were flipping 3 years old. They seem to be dumber than I was (though I don't mean to be rude…) when I was 3.

* * *

Cutting corners and running through alleyways, I finally arrived at Central park. It was the only place I could find peace, the tranquility, the aroma of the trees and flowers. The only comforting place for me to hide, and read.

There was a big oak tree in the middle of the park, it looked incredibly beautiful, especially in the night when the street lights are the only source of brightness. In the branches, you could see some squirrels moving. No one was around, well that was obvious since it was like…10 PM. The weight on my shoulders were getting heavy so I decided to stay in the oak tree for the night.

_What's wrong with that?_

I wouldn't be lying if I said that it was comfortable. It wasn't a desirable or was it my dream tree, it would be if there was a treehouse but unfortunately there wasn't one. I was lucky enough to bring my blanket with me (of course, it's my favorite blanket) and some food. Wow, I am so prepared!

Climbing up the tree was a mission almost to the impossible. There was no footing and I literally had to carve steps into the trunk of the tree. (It's possible if you have the time to waste half an hour) Once I was able to get up the tree, I laid my blanket on a huge branch. When I looked down, I noticed that I was really high up and I had to admit that it was scary. At least no one would notice I was up here. I was getting drowsy so I decided it was okay to sleep.

_Good night._

* * *

**Percy's POV**

"Percy!" A small voice whined.

It was late in the night and I was so tired! Going to a youth club and doing park time jobs are really stressing.

"Percy!" That voice whined again.

"Ugh…Can I get some sleep please?" I replied.

The voice refused to have that answer and started hitting me.

"Wake up Percy!" It was shouting now.

_I give up._

Sitting up on my bed, I turned my head to the side to see the whining person. I'm not shocked, not shocked to find my younger brother standing there.

"Tyson, what's up?" I looked at my digital clock on the drawer beside my bed. "Its ten minutes till ten."

Tyson crossed his arms and pouted. He tends to do this a lot.

"I want to go to the park!" He yelled.

This seems to be some kind of daily routine. Tyson persuades me to go to the park with him every day and I seem to oblige.

"But Tyson, it's late. You should be sleeping and mom would be sad." I tried to reason him.

"Doggy wants to poop!" He kept on yelling.

Okay, he _had_ to involve Mrs. O'Leary. But he does have a point.

I sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

Standing up made my legs wobble. I guess it would since I've been running all day and never got a break.

"For a 5 year old, you're so persuasive." I muttered as I walked past him.

My little brother just skipped happily to the front door (already dressed). He put on his shoes very slowly and hummed a tune doing it. It took me 2 minutes to get dressed and put Mrs. O'Leary on a leash.

Before we left, I got out an extra big jacket to put on Tyson since he wasn't warm enough. It took a while but I managed to put it on him. It was surprising to know that my parents haven't woken up yet but I guess they were as tired as I was.

"Come on Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, let's go."

Tyson cheered and ran out with Mrs. O'Leary behind him and I was pulled by her. We went to the Central park, the place where we always go and Tyson giggled once he arrived at the pond. I let Mrs. O'Leary off her leash to go do her own business then I went over to Tyson who was leaning over the pond. He nearly fell in but with fast reflexes, I caught him.

"Geez Tyson, be careful next time."

"I'm sorry Percy." He gave me the puppy eyes and I couldn't resist but to squeeze him.

We stayed at the park for around 15 minutes and was about to leave when Mrs. O'Leary barked. She was under the big old oak tree and scraped her paws against the trunk. Curious at what she was barking at, Tyson and I went over to examine. The barking stopped once I stood beside my dog. Tyson tugged on my jeans and pointed up to a tree. I don't know what he was looking at and couldn't see anything.

"What is it Tyson?"

"There's a girl up there…" He whispered.

Well that alarmed me.

Then I noticed carved marks on the tree and as I got a better look I _did_ notice a girl. It looked like she was sleeping. She must have been cold because I was shivering and I'm probably wearing more layers than her. I was getting worried for this girl and decided to climb up and get her down.

I was struggling to get up but the carved marks helped. When I got to the sleeping girl's branch, I was awed by the beauty of her sleeping face, not to mention a great view. The girl had long blonde hair with princess curls, just from seeing that it made my heart beat fast.

"Percy…" Tyson moaned from beneath.

I should really get the girl down, fast, then take Tyson home.

So I picked her up (she was surprisingly light) and carefully and slowly got the both of us down. Getting down was the easiest part. There was some murmuring and movement from her.

_She must be dreaming._

I laid her down on the grass right next to the tree. Feeling her forehead, I was glad to know that she didn't have a cold. Also, waking her up from a nice dream would be a shame so I thought I should leave her like that.

"Can we take her home?" Tyson whispered.

He was crazy. That would be crazy right? To take a girl we don't know home. Anyway why _was_ she sleeping in a tree?

"_Percyyyy_. Let's _goooo._ And take her. Mommy would love it!" Tyson tugged on my shirt.

"She isn't a toy Tyson. We can't take her home but…Let's me call mom just in case."

Tyson nodded and yawn.

I took out my iPhone and dialed my mom's phone number. It took a few rings but my mom picked up.

(Percy/_Sally [Mom]_)

"_Percy?" _

You could tell she was really tired from the way she spoke.

"Hey mom."

"_Where are you? Why are you calling me?" _

"Well we're at the park-but that's not the problem!"

"_Then what is?" _

"We found a girl sleeping on a branch in the big oak tree…what should we do?"

"_Wait, is Tyson with you?-__Never mind. Just bring the girl home, she must be cold."_

Then she hung up.

Leave it to moms to know what to do.

I glanced at Tyson and gave him a thumbs up. He probably knew what it meant because he was squealing like a girl.

"Yay!" He jumped up and down.

Before picking the girl up, I wrapped my jacket around her…well, over her. Mrs. O'Leary barked again at the tree but I don't know why.

_Please don't tell me it's another person._

Instead, it was a brown backpack. It must have been the girl's so I climbed up to get it then back down. Tyson wore the backpack and started walking. We then walked home with me piggybacking the girl. Tyson sat on Mrs. O'Leary the whole walk home. _Lucky him._ As soon as we arrived to the front steps of my house, Tyson jumped off Mrs. O'Leary and ran to the door and pressed the bell multiple of times. The person who opened it was Paul, my step-dad. He seemed to have just woken up (by the bell) and didn't look pleased.

Staring at me, he gave a small smile. "Your mother is in the spare room, carry the girl in there." He then took Tyson's hand. "Come on pal, you're going to bed."

Tyson nodded excitedly and walked with Paul. Mrs. O'Leary ran into the house to do gods-know-what. I just sighed and carried the girl inside my house, up the stairs and into the spare room. My mother was sitting on a chair facing the bed and once she heard the door open, she looked at me.

"Set her down Percy." She instructed and I did as I was told.

Gently, I put the blonde girl down on the bed and tucked her in. She looked so peaceful and…gods, so, so beautiful!

"Percy, explain to me what happened please."

So I told her. How Tyson persuaded me to take him and Mrs. O'Leary to the Central park, how Mrs. O'Leary and Tyson spotted the girl in the tree and that I took her to the house. My mom just sat there, calm and silent.

"Okay honey. Go to bed, you've got work tomorrow."

I walked over to the door and was about to close it. "But what about her…?"

"I'll look after her until she wakes up."

I hesitated and nodded.

"See you in the morning mom."

With that, I went to bed for the night.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

There were whispers, loud whispers to be exact. I wonder what was happening. Of course I was asleep, wait. Was I caught for sleeping on a tree branch in the Central park? Are the police here? I have to wake up, I don't want to be caught and have my dad and step-mom come get me. No. I don't ever want to see them.

Sitting up, I realized that I was on a bed in room, it had a grey wallpaper, wooden floor and kind of empty. On the table beside me was some cookies and milk, one of the cookies were bitten. _Someone was here…_

The door opened and I was scared to see who it was. I was shocked to find a little boy standing there, his eyes were wide and his mouth was in an O shape. Instead of screaming out stuff like 'the girl is awake' or 'oh my gawd', he just walked over to the chair next to the bedside and sat on it. He was an adorable little fella, with green eyes, short brown hair and a goofy grin.

"Hi there miss!" He shouted but not too loud.

"Hey. Um…where am I?" I don't know why I was asking a kid that looked 5 years old.

"My mommy's and Paul's house." He responded.

Oh, I was in a stranger's house. Oh no, I'm in a stranger's house. Hesitating to speak, I stood up and looked for my bag but it wasn't here.

"Where's my…" Then I noticed a brown backpack on the kid's back and pointed to it.

"This bag?" He asked turning to the side for me to get a better view.

I nodded and he immediately gave it. Nice kid he is.

Something was concerning me, who did I get here? Somehow, the kid knew what I was thinking.

"My big brother got you here. He was like, climbing like a big monkey up that tree, he then, he then…uh…went down with you. He then called mommy because I wanted you here and she said yes. Yay! Then, then, he got your bag and I carried it home. He pig bank you home and then I went sleep and he went sleep. Then mommy did everything else!"

This kid wasn't making any sense but I got the feeling that I knew what he meant. Strange huh?

Just then, a woman's voice yelled out.

"Tyson honey, is the girl awake?"

The little boy looked at me then looked at the door. "Yes mommy!"

_Ah! Snitch!_

I could here footsteps and I was getting more and more nervous. What if they try and kill me? What if they won't let me leave? What if…

Standing at the door was a tall and brown haired woman, she had the most sincere smile I had ever seen.

_Maybe I should trust this person._

"Good afternoon." She said.

I didn't know what to say and wanted to curl up into a ball.

"Do you need anything to eat? You've been sleeping for a long time."

It's afternoon? Wow…I'm some kind of deep sleeper.

"What time is it?" I asked.

The woman raised her wrist to see the time because she had a watch on.

"It's 4 PM dear." She responded.

My belly started grumbling and the lady smiled.

"I'll get you something to eat, just stay here." She was about to walk out but stopped. "What is your name dear?"

"It's Annabeth."

I didn't know why but I just said it, like…I trusted this woman.

The boy on the seat was fidgeting, he seemed to be desperate for something.

"Tyson, what's wrong?" The woman asked and the little boy who seemed to be called Tyson looked up at her.

"I need to go pee pee mommy."

I couldn't help but laugh and the lady smiled again.

"Then go, don't just sit and wait because young Annabeth is awake." He nodded and rushed out of the room.

The lady sighed and then looked at me. "Do you want to stay here or come downstairs and sit in the living room?"

"Um…I think staying here but thank you for inviting me downstairs." I politely said.

"Okay. I'll be right up in a second."

She then went out of the room closing the door behind her. This gave me time to look around the room, see if there were any hidden doors, secret cameras or lost treasures. Yes, I was the type of girl who likes stuff like this.

It took me 10 minutes to thoroughly search the entire room. Nothing special was here.

* * *

After waiting for nearly an hour -I think-, I was getting bored of waiting. There was literally nothing in here, no books, no paper, not even a wheelie chair for a desk! If only I remembered to pack some books in my bag, damn was I stupid.

Just then, the lady came in with a tray. She laid it down on top of the draw next to me.

"I'm sorry I took long." She apologized.

"It's okay um…" I didn't know her name so I didn't know what to say.

"You can call me Sally." I nodded and started eating.

We talked for a while about school, her family and food. The food was delicious, who knew that tuna was actually safe to eat! Sally even made orange juice-not _buy_ orange juice from the supermarket but actually _squeezed_ the juice out of fresh oranges! From the way it tasted, it was also yummy!

I was staring at the glass for quite a while.

"Is there anything wrong Annabeth?" Sally asked.

Tapping on the glass, I looked up at her. "I've never tasted homemade orange juice before."

"You haven't? Doesn't your mother make it? This is a very nutritious orange juice, the ones in the supermarket aren't as healthy."

I shook my head. My step-mother never made any, I don't know why though.

"Anyways Sally, where is…Tyson?" I asked. The little dude hasn't shown to see me after he went to the toilet.

"Oh, little Tyson is downstairs in the living room, there's a marathon of SpongeBob episodes on Nickelodeon."

"Oh, I see…What is this…SpongeBob?" I asked, totally confused.

Sally looked at me like I was crazy. "Come downstairs and see for yourself."

She stood up and I reacted fast, standing up too.

We walked down a set of stairs and into a massive living room. Next to a gigantic window was a flat screen TV and in front of that was a couch. A boy popped up from the couch screaming at the TV…something like 'SpongeBob Squarepants!' What's that supposed to mean?

"Ha, ha! Squidward and SpongeBob became two!" Tyson yelled.

Wait- rephrase that… 'Squidward and SpongeBob became two…' He's learning dirty words already?! Is this some kind of porn TV show? How could Sally let him watch that? Ah, now I get what they meant by 'SpongeBob Squarepants' There's a boy called Bob and he has a sponge…He must have a square pants and it doesn't fit him so he…put the sponge in his pants which makes him more attractive! Then the girls…him…bed…Ah! Wait, Squidward's a weird name but if I separated the words…Squid-ward…Squid-worts? Squid-water? Squid-wood! Oh my gods! It's a gay porn TV show! The Squidwood guy has that name because he loves squids and sticks a long piece of wood in his pants to make his thing look big! –gasp!- So inappropriate for a 5 year old!

Sally's eyes widened in shock and shook her head.

"No, no, no. It's not that Annabeth."

"Did I just…say that out loud?" I murmured and she nodded.

Feeling embarrassed, I looked down at my socks.

"A-anyway, come and sit down next to Tyson on the couch."

I nodded slowly then walked soundlessly over to the couch, sat down and cried invisible tears.

_Ah, that was so weird and awkward! _

* * *

It turned out that the TV show on Nickelodeon (SpongeBob Squarepants), was just cartoon and it was really funny. It _wasn't_ a gay porn TV show though I suspect that SpongeBob might be a player because he flirted…ish…With that Sandy girl, Mrs. Puff (I think that's her name) and his own best friend Patrick!

But you know, the show is really interesting and after the marathon of SpongeBob Squarepants, Tyson and I begged Sally if we were allowed to buy the SpongeBob movie and she gave in. I was surprised though, how can she be so nice and to add, she's been like my own mother even if we only met today. Tyson and his older brother must be so lucky to have such a great mom, unlike me.

There was a ringing sound from Sally's pocket and she took it out. It seemed to be a mobile phone. She answered it once she knew who it was.

"Hello?"

…

"Oh honey, are you coming home now?"

…

"Because there are two keen people who want to buy the SpongeBob movie."

…

Sally laughed.

"Well thank you honey, come home fast."

She then hung up.

"Was that your husband, Sally?" I asked.

Putting her phone away, Sally shook her head.

"It was my son, Tyson's older brother." She said.

Now that I wonder, who _is_ Tyson's older brother? I mean from what I heard, he's the one who…carried me here. Thinking about it just makes me embarrassed.

"Oh…when is he going to be here?" I wondered.

"In approximately 15 minutes I hope, but if the queue is long then 25 minutes." I nodded.

So we waited for 20 minutes, playing Monopoly and Twister along with watching re-runs of SpongeBob. Then, a knock on the door was made and I was getting excited. First, I get to watch SpongeBob movie and second, I get to see Tyson's older brother, the guy who 'saved' me from freezing to death in Central Park.

Tyson looked at me and I looked back at him. We both narrowed our eyes at each other then ran to the door with Sally laughing behind us. I was the first to get there, obviously. Feeling scared, I opened the door to find myself staring at the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen.

* * *

**How are you guys liking it so far? Do you guys want me to continue this? **

**I just love making so many of these stories! Somehow when I 'try' to make One-shots, it always ends up being chapter stories so I literally have to change the title like this one. **

**Please review this, I always get the energy to keep writing with reviews just like when people cheer their favorite sports team. It just gets me going. **

**Well, that's the first chapter: Getting Away. **

**The next chapter will be called: Getting to Know You.**

**Unfortunately, I won't know when I'll publish the next chapter. Please don't rush me, if you do then I might suck on writing the chapter. **

**See you till next time!**

**~Dan and Nathan {BelieveThatDude}~ **


	2. Chapter Two - Getting to Know You

**Hey guys! I'm back with more of The Runaway!**

**Sorry if I took long. My brother and I think too much to write, our apologies. **

**ninjason: Well, to answer your question…yes. **

* * *

Chapter Two – Getting to Know You

**Percy's POV**

Ah, man. Today's too tiring, my boss keeps on bugging me about coming to work late. It's not my fault I'm stressing!

"Yo Perce!" Grover screamed.

"Hey G-man." I replied.

He jogged up to me smiling.

"How was work?" He asked.

I sighed. "Tiring. Zoe is really bossy and she's merciless. I wish I was a girl."

"Why?" Grover raised a brow.

"Because she treats girls differently to men, talk about being sexist." I muttered.

Grover laughed and patted my back.

"Don't say that. Girls have it hard too, I guess she's just a feminist."

"Yeah, that's probably right." I mumbled, then remembered. "When's your big day?"

"The debating big day or…" Grover listed.

"The debating for the…um…" He laughed again.

"Gee Perce, you don't remember?" I sheepishly smiled and nodded. "Well, the debating about stopping the constructionists from knocking down the trees is in 3 months."

"Oh, then you better prepare." We started walking.

"Yeah…So what are you doing now? Mom chores?" Grover got out a carrot and took a bite out of it.

"Uh huh. I have to go buy SpongeBob the Movie for Tyson and a girl." Grover started choking as we took a step into the supermarket.

"Seriously? SpongeBob the Movie?" He sounded excited.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"That's like…my favorite movie! Can I come over to your house and watch it too?" He pleaded.

"Alright." I simply said.

In the supermarket, there were thousands of things you could buy like: games, DVDs, food, wine, clothes and toys. It was big and there were so many sections but luckily for me, I got lost in here once and knew what section sells what. Unfortunately, the DVDs section was all the way at the back of the supermarket which meant that I had to walk all the way down there and back. As we walked to the end, I looked at the shelves to search for SpongeBob the Movie. Grover was just staring at posters which were beside the DVDs shelves. Finally I spotted the DVD and grabbed it.

"Come on Grover, let's go!" I took his arm and dragged him away from the posters.

He whined like my little brother for a bit then stopped and moaned. When we were lining up in the queue, Grover started humming a tune but stopped.

"Percy, earlier you mentioned a girl…Who _is_ this girl?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. "I don't know. A stranger?"

Paying for the movie, I shoved it in my pocket and walked out of the supermarket with Grover following after me.

"Are you kidding me Perce? You have a stranger that you don't know, staying at your house." Grover seemed shocked.

"She was hot and Tyson wanted to take her home and mom approved." I said, sounding bored.

"Percy Jackson, you're an unbelievable person." Grover couldn't believe what he just heard.

"I hope that was a compliment." I shouted back to him.

"I don't know…Let's just get going." I nodded and we walked towards the direction of my house.

After fooling around like playing knock-down-ginger, Grover I made it back to my house.

"Okay, would you rather have a troll as a father or Medusa as your girlfriend?" Grover smirked at his question.

"Come on, even I know that trolls are cool, so a troll as a father." His face sunk when he realized that it was a lame one.

I knocked on the door.

"You don't have the keys?" Grover looked amused.

"Well, mom didn't trust me carrying around the house key because I might lose it so…yeah." Grover started laughing and I was blushing from embarrassment.

On the other side of the door, I heard banging and then the door opened. My eyes widened to see who it was. The girl I carried home yesterday was here, right in front of me and from that moment, I realized that she had the most beautiful grey eyes I have ever seen. We stared at each other for quite a while until my mom cleared her throat and I grew red. The girl looked away.

"Percy honey, welcome home. And I see you brought Grover over." She said.

"Hey Mrs. J!" Grover greeted as we walked inside.

"Did you buy SpongeBob the Movie, Percy?" Tyson asked as he pulled on my leg.

I took out the DVD from my pocket. "Yeah but you owe me little pal, for today _and_ yesterday. Did you know that this morning before I left, mom scold at me?"

Tyson giggled and ran into the living room screaming 'SpongeBob! SpongeBob! SpongeBob!'

I walked in after him with Grover, my mom and the girl following behind.

"Percy, how was work today?" My mom asked.

I fell back on the couch. "It was boring and tiring! Did you know that Zoe can get super-duper mad when I come to work late?" I complained.

"Oh, I never knew she was like that, but it was my fault too honey, calm down." She went into the kitchen.

"Hey Perce, I'm going up to the bathroom, I need to pee." Grover ran up the steps.

"TMI, man! Gods." I shouted so he could hear me.

The blonde girl stood there behind the couch, looking uncomfortable. She was staring at the floor and had her hands behind her back.

"Um…do you want to sit down?" I asked her.

She nodded and walked over to sit down on the end of the couch. I was on the other end of the couch, leaning back and groaning because Tyson was taking long with putting the DVD in. In the corner of my eye, I could see the girl was fidgeting, she must be impatient too.

Tyson was working out how to put the DVD in but he seemed confused.

"Little T, what's wrong? You need help?" I stood up and walked over to him, crouching to reach his height.

He looked at me and nodded.

"Percy, there's so many buttons and majeens!" He threw his hands on his head, scratching it with confusions.

I had no idea what he meant by 'majeens' but it sounded like machines, so I'll go with that. He was right too, there were 4 other DVD players for reasons I don't know. The one that we use frequently would be the bottom one so I showed Tyson what to do.

"…There you go. Do you understand now?" I asked him to know for sure.

"Yeah! Push the open button, tray comes out, cookie put inside the tray and push it back in to cook the cookie." He sounded so proud of himself.

Ah, he thought about cookies when I was showing him, which must mean he's hungry. Looking over to the kitchen counter, I could see that my mom was making cookies already. Is she some kind of wizard who can read the future?

I stood up once again and walked over to the couch and dropped down on it. Tyson ran over and jumped on it, slamming into both the girl and me. He thought it was funny that we got injured in the progress because the silly boy was laughing.

"Ugh! Tyson, are you getting fat?" I smirked.

"No! Mommy! Percy called me fat!" He snitched.

Damn this kid, he really _is_ a snake. I guess I'll have to be care of what he does in the future.

"Percy, don't be rude to your little brother." My mom called out.

Sighing, I apologized to Tyson. The girl on the end started laughing.

Narrowing my eyes, I looked over at her. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." Then turned to the TV.

"But you-" I was interrupted by Tyson.

"Be quiet, Percy! SpongeBob is coming on!" Then the theme song came on.

To my surprise, I heard the girl respond to the pirate. Grover sped down the stairs once he heard the theme song and was about to shout too but the song ended. Mom walked into the living room carrying a plate full of freshly made cookies. From just smelling the cookies, Tyson squealed.

"Cookies! Cookies!" He jumped up and down.

"Dig in." My mom said as she laid the plate down on the coffee table.

Being the Cookie Monster, Tyson took handfuls of cookies and shoved it in his mouth.

"Be careful Tyson, you'll get a sugar rush again." I warned him.

"Again? How many times have this happened Percy?" Grover looked surprised.

"Just like, once a day." I replied.

The girl on the end came over to grab a cookie, she was as silent as ever and that kind of creeped me out.

Grover shook his head. "You have a weird family."

I smiled.

"Well, this weird family loves being weird." Mom said as she sat back on an arm chair.

* * *

After watching and eating cookies, it was time for dinner and mom was preparing. Grover and I were up in my room, Tyson was playing with his toys in his and the girl went to her room, which was next to mine, and did her own stuff.

"Are you staying for dinner?" I asked Grover.

I was playing around with a globe I got for Christmas from a relative. Grover was sitting crossed-legged on my bed, thinking.

"Yeah, since I'm already here. I'll just call my uncle to pick me up later then." He replied.

Then I heard a banging sound in the next room and rushed quickly over to that room to investigate. The girl was on the floor with the desk over her. Grover was behind me, looking worried. I looked at him and he nodded. Grover grabbed the left side of the desk and I grabbed the right. Using our strength, we pulled the desk up so that it was on all 4 legs. Something wasn't right though, the legs on the desk seemed uneven. I needed to get it checked out. Glancing over to the girl, I saw bruises on her legs and arms.

"Grover, go get the first aid kit." I demanded and he nodded, running out of the room.

Kneeling down to the girl's level, I reached out a hand for her to grab. After being examined by her for a minute, she accepted my hand and got up. I slowly led her over to the bed for her to sit down.

I sat down next to her, looking as worried as ever.

"What happened?" I asked her, sounding concerned.

She shrugged. "The structure of the desk wasn't even."

I scratched my head. "Yeah, I need to get that checked out."

She nodded and we sat there, silent, for a bit.

Then I just realized, I can't keep calling this girl 'girl' for the rest of my life, I need to know her name.

"So uh…I'm Percy but I guess you already know because my mom keeps on repeating my name." I said.

"I'm…I'm Annabeth…" She said in a low voice looking like she really shouldn't have said that.

I smiled at her. "Annabeth huh, I don't know a person who's ever been called Annabeth before. It's actually a nice name."

Annabeth turned her head away from me for some reason.

Grover rushed back with the first aid kit.

"What did I miss?" He was out of breath.

"Nothing." I stood up and walked over to him.

He gave me the first aid kit and I walk over to Annabeth. I knelt down and took out some cotton tissues and bandages. Once I medicated Annabeth, I closed up the first aid kit and gave it back to Grover who ran back down to the stock cupboard.

"Thanks." Annabeth said.

I stood up again and was about to leave but stopped and turned around, smiling.

"No problem. If you need anything, I'm always next door." I then walked out of the room.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

"No problem. If you need anything, I'm always next door." Percy said, then he walked out of my room.

I felt my face heat up, but why? Also, I had this tingling feeling in my stomach when he walked into the room. I should probably consult this to Sally sometime but it might just be me hungry.

After sitting and thinking, I heard Sally yell for dinner so I got on my feet and walked out of the room. Percy opened his door when I did, and when he saw me, he smiled. For a weird reason, I did too. Percy and Grover chased each other down the stairs like little children, it kind of reminded me of Mathew and Bobby. It saddened my heart, I left my 3 year old half-brothers just because of my own silly reasons. Once I got into the dining room, Percy and Grover were already seated. I sat on my chair, which was next to Percy, and pulled myself closer to the table.

"Where's Sally?" I asked Percy.

He stopped talking to Grover and turned his head over to me, giving me another smile.

"She's in the kitchen." Then the doorbell rang.

Percy stood up.

"I'll get it!" He yelled so that his mother could hear.

He then walked out of the room and to the door. Grover and I sat there, bored and quiet. From my point of view, he looks a little shy and he seems caring.

I heard the front door open and close. Then I heard Percy shouting out someone's name. Was it Ta…Ta…Tatia?

Before I could try and figure out the name, I saw Percy come back into the room with a girl. She had spiky short black hair, electric blue eyes and punk clothes. I looked at her and she stared right back, then whispered something in Percy's ear? His face then turned red and shook his head, she nodded slowly in response.

"I'm Thalia." The girl greeted ever so rudely, as she sat in Percy's seat.

So that's what her name is!

"Hi, I'm A-"

"Yeah, yeah. Annabeth Chase. I know, this bimbo over here called me up just a few minutes ago to check you out." She pointed over to Percy.

He seemed a bit flustered and punched Thalia in the arm.

"Shut up, I didn't tell you to 'check her out', just to come over and see her." Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, like I'd mishear anything. Oh and…" Thalia punched Percy, hard, in the arm back. "That's for hitting me!"

Percy groaned in pain as he sat opposite us, next to Grover. He rubbed his probably bruised arm and muttered a few years under his breath.

"What was that, Percy? I couldn't hear you." Thalia said as she brought her hand up to her ear.

"I said that you're one fucking strong girl!" He half yelled, half whispered.

Thalia sat there, leaning back on her chair, smiling.

"Thank you for the compliment, Kelp Head." Percy groaned and banged his head on the table.

**List of things I know about Percy: **

#1. He is kind

#2. He is sweet

#3. He is immature

And that's all I know so far.

"Mom! Thalia hit me again!" He complained as Sally entered the room.

Add to the list:

#4. He is childish

Thalia's eyes widened.

"What? Percy hit me first!" She shouted.

Sally sighed as the two argued.

"Now, now. Let's leave this in the past and Percy, it's rude to hit a girl, especially if she's family." Percy sunk back in his chair.

Thalia sat there, looking victorious.

"And Thalia, don't hit someone even if they started it first." She also sunk in her seat.

Across, Grover was trying to hold in his laughter and it was working quite well. I also thought it was amusing. No one won and no one lost. Percy and Thalia both kind of…got in between.

"Mom, is Paul going to eat with us?" Percy asked.

Sally looked around the table and frowned.

"No…Where's your brother?"

Percy then scanned the room, slightly confused.

"I don't know, mom…Where _is_ he?"

"I'm here!" A squeaky voice yelled.

Everyone, including me, turned their heads to the end of the table. There were spikes popping out of the table. Then it jumped up and revealed Tyson's face.

"Ah! The table ate Tyson!" Percy screamed.

Then someone started crying and I knew straightaway that it was Tyson.

"Tyson is still alive but is slowly being eaten away and is crying! Hang in there little T! I'm coming to save you!" He stood up.

"Are you an idiot, Percy?" Thalia rhetorically asked.

"But…"

Sally walked over to the end and picked up Tyson then sat him down on a high chair that surprisingly still fits him.

"Don't be rude again, Percy." Sally warned and he zipped his lips but that was only for a few seconds.

"Hey, mom. Where's Paul? Isn't he gonna eat with us?"

"No, honey. He's got a meeting, he'll be coming home late." Percy nodded.

Sally walked back into the kitchen to bring out the food. Everyone was silent except for Tyson who was sniffing up his booger.

This feels so awkward.

"Tyson, I'm sorry bud." Percy called over at him.

Tyson's eyes widened and smiled.

"No problem, Percy!"

"You know…You might be a hero! How'd you get out of the disgusting old table's mouth?" He asked.

The little guy smirked proudly.

"It's all thanks to these guys!" Tyson showed his muscle-less arms.

Everyone in the room laughed happily and surprising for me, I did too. Then Sally came back with the trolley that waiters usually bring in.

"Dinner's here." She announced and we all cheered.

The dinner that Sally made was a-ma-zing! I never thought that you could make bean sprouts delicious. All around me, I saw that every single person enjoyed their food, no one argued and moaned. So this was what a normal family feels like.

"So Annabeth, what college do you attend?" Sally asked.

I dropped my fork and stared at the nearly finished food on my plate.

"Yeah Annabeth, which college?" Thalia could hardly say as she stuffed herself with food.

Percy, Tyson and Grover just stared at me, silently interested in the chat.

"I uh…Um…I went to Harvard…" Sally smiled and was about to say something… "But dropped out." I finished.

The whole room was silent…again.

It seemed that they all knew not to but in and ask why.

* * *

Dinner finished with us talking about favorite food and other stuff, no one asked about the previous chat. Sally must have taught Tyson to be a really good boy.

When we cleared the table, I went straight up to my current bedroom. I closed the door behind me and stood there. I needed to get out of here, this place is just hypnotizing me to stay!

Something was making a noise in my bag so I walked over to it to pick up the object. I found that it was my phone.

_Oh yeah, I forgot I brought my phone…_

On the screen it said 'DAD' in bold. My teeth gritted and I hung up. After knowing I left, he took a day to call me, he's the worst!

I fell back on my bed and looked up at the celling, it was covered in stars. Such a beautiful ceiling…

"Annabeth? May I come in?" Someone said on the other side of the door. I knew straight away that it was Sally.

"Oh…Of course, Sally." I replied.

She opened the door and walked over to the bed and sat down next to me. She made sure she closed the door before she walked over.

"May I ask you a few questions?" Sally asked politely.

"Yeah…" I could tell these questions are going to get personal.

"Do you want to go home? I can call your parents…"

"No…I don't want to go back to that place." I immediately said quietly.

She nodded and relaxed a little. I did too.

"Can you tell me the reason why you dropped out of college?"

I didn't know if I could and Sally might pity me. That's what I hate, people pitying on me. It always happens. People just stare at me as I walk through the doors, saying 'it's that super smart girl who lost her mom' or 'I feel sad for her, she has high grades but no mother.' I just hate it. I'm no different to everyone else…

But when I looked at Sally, I saw her. It was the same face that my mother usually gives me, the look that showed she will always listen and trust, that she'll always love and forgive. So then I told her the story, my story…

She listened till the end and hugged me. The first hug I ever got in 17 years. It made me cry, cry of sadness and joy.

"You can stay here for as long as you want." Sally whispered.

I nodded.

"Would you want to go back to college? You can attend to Percy's college."

I rubbed my eyes and looked at her.

"What school is that?" I asked.

"Princeton." My eyes widened.

"R-really? But isn't that far from here?"

She nodded. "Of course but you can come back every holiday and weekends."

"O-okay. When does school start?"

"In a week. Percy, Thalia and Grover will show you around." Sally informed.

"How am I supposed to get in?"

"Annabeth, you were amazing enough to get into Yale, it's obvious you'll get into Princeton, I know it and…I know the principal of the school." She said quietly.

My eyes widened. "Is…is that how you got Percy in?" I whispered.

"Oh gods no. My son got in with his own special skills. Thank the gods for that." Sally smiled.

I laughed and nodded.

"Okay, I need to tuck Tyson in for bed now. Good night, Annabeth."

"Good night."

Sally walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Soon after, a familiar head popped in. The person seemed to be lost but when it found its way to my bed, the person smiled.

"Hey there, Blondie."

"Um…I have a name you know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know." It was Thalia, she walked into my room without permission.

She crossed her arms when she stood right in front of me.

"What?" I asked.

"How close are you and Percy? Don't tell me that you're his secret girlfriend, or even worse…WIFE!"

I looked at her, horrified at the statement.

"No! Why would you think that? I hardly know him for a day."

"Good. That guy is just an unpredictable brat and I don't really trust him with girls who look as sweet as you."

Aw…That's so sweet.

"Sally told me you go to the same school as Percy."

Thalia moaned. "Out of all people, _him_."

I laughed.

"What's so wrong about Percy?"

"Everything!" She screamed.

"_HEY! I heard that!" _Someone screamed.

Then an angry Percy stomped into my room.

"You are one _mean_ cousin, Thalia!" Grover ran in after him.

"Uh…Per-Thalia…" Grover couldn't really speak.

Thalia walked over to Percy and Grover.

"That's _such_ a great compliment Kelp head." Then Grover whispered something in her ear.

She turned around. "Oh, I have to go home now. See you later Annie." Then she left.

Percy walked out after her and Grover followed behind. I was left alone again. I thought about what Sally said. Should I really stay here or leave? Go to school or not? Maybe I can decide tomorrow. Right now, I just want to go sleep.

* * *

**And there you have it, the end of the second chapter. **

**Again, I apologize for the long update or was it short? **

**Anyways, I just went to watch LEGO movie again at the cinemas. You might not know it but, the cinema I went to was called ODEON. I don't think it went global so some of you probably won't. Why am I blabbing on about cinemas? Want me to tell you the result of the LEGO movie? My review on it? It was awesome…that reminds me…**

'**Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!' – Song from LEGO movie.**

**The next chapter is called: Friends and Family**

**Yet again, please don't rush me.**

**R&R**

**~Dan and Nathan {BelieveThatDude}~**


	3. Chapter Three - Friends and Family

**Ha, ha! I have come back with more of 'The Runaway'! **

**En- *random person throws book at my face* Ow… Okay, I deserved that for not updating for a month but guys, I try, I really do. **

**Anyway…**

**Enjoy my fellow readers.**

* * *

Chapter Three – Friends and Family

**Annabeth's POV**

Morning came and I was woken from the tweeting birds on my window sill. Just the same as Disney movies except, these birds were out of tune. I looked around the room to check the time. There wasn't a clock in the room. How am I supposed to check the time?

Someone knocked on the door.

I got up quickly and opened the door.

"Hey." Percy warmly said.

My face felt hot because of how close Percy was to me.

"Hi." I responded.

"Just came to tell you that breakfast's ready. Come downstairs once you're finished…doing your business." He smiled.

"Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." He then walked downstairs.

I stared at his back until all I could see was the tip of his messy hair. Sighing, I walked back into my room.

"Tooth brush. Tooth brush. Tooth brush…" I murmured as I looked through my bag.

"Annie-Bethy. There's an extra tooth brush in the bathroom." The sound was from a young kid.

I knew straight away who it was and smiled.

"Thank you Tyson. Would you mind showing me which one please?" I asked.

He nodded then walked out, with me behind him.

The truth was, I kind of didn't care which tooth brush was mine I actually didn't know where the bathroom was.

What? You can't expect a person to know the bathroom if she's only been in a house once, unless they're super smart like Stephen Hawkins.

"Here you go Annie-Bethy!" Tyson spread his arms wide to show the bathroom.

Only one word could describe the bathroom. Marvelous. The structure and design were superb. The decoration was dealt with care and don't get me started on how shiny the toilet was.

"Thanks, Tyson."

"Don't worry about it!" He skipped off in the hallway.

I sighed and looked at the mirror. Yeah, I looked the same as always. Nothing changed other than the fact that I migrated. If my dad finds me, I am screwed.

* * *

After finishing with bath and cleaning myself, I got changed and went downstairs to the dining room. Three people were sat at the table. Two of them were people who I knew. The person on the left was Percy, he was texting something on his phone. And the other who was sitting next to him was Tyson, he watched SpongeBob on the telly whilst eating cereal. The man I was not familiar with was sitting at the front of the table, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. Looks so much like a stereotypical dad.

I made my entrance quiet but the man had sharp ears, unlike the other boys. He gaze was straight at me when I sat down.

"Ah, you must be Annabeth." He said.

I looked at him and gave a slight smile – because I wasn't rude – in which he gave it back but it was wide.

"Uh…yeah."

He rose his cup and drank from it, then put it down on the table.

"It's nice to finally talk to you face-to-face." I nodded in response.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being rude. I'm Paul, Percy and Tyson's step-father."

Now it makes sense.

"So you're Sally's husband as well?"

That was a stupid question.

He chuckled. "Yes."

Then Sally walked into the dining room.

"Ah, Annabeth, you're awake." She smiled.

I nodded and looked down at the table. This was so weird. To be at a stranger's house is like having monsters over for dinner…Okay, that's freaking me out. Am I a monster? Do these people think of me as a monster?

"Percy! No mobile phones at the table." Sally scold at Percy.

"Sorry, sorry mom." He apologized and put the phone back in his pocket.

Then he set his eyes on me. Why me?

"Percy." He took his gaze off of me and looked up at his mother. "Would you mind if Annabeth goes with you to work today?"

I then froze.

I never agreed to this. Heck, I didn't even know anything about this!

Quickly, I looked from Sally to Percy. He met my eyes once again, showing no signs of hatred or happiness, in fact his eyes doesn't show _any _emotions. I was starting to think that he was some kind of alien.

He shrugged and leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms and looking down at the ground. "Sure."

Sally clapped her hands together and smiled.

My heart was beating, like really fast. It's really strange to be feeling that but I was slightly confused at him. He didn't mind that I was going with him, to his workplace, intruding in his life and might probably mess up his mind. This guy might actually be a really, good, person…

* * *

**Percy's POV**

Ah man. I was totally not cool with this. What will my friends think when they see me bring a girl to work? Probably might think that she's my girlfriend. Ugh. Why did mom have to suggest that? I don't even know Annabeth enough to have her come to work with me.

_You didn't know her enough to bring her back to your place._ My conscious said.

Damn it. That was so right. Oh well. How bad can it be?

* * *

"Bye mom, Paul, Tyson!" I yelled as I got out of the house.

Annabeth was putting on her shoes, well the shoes that my mom gave her. I looked down at the piece of paper my mom gave me. Was it a shopping list?

I sighed once I saw what it was. It was definitely something to do with shopping.

"Hurry up Annabeth. I'm going to be late for work." I said, which made her speed up.

"I'm ready!" She said, standing next to me.

"Then let's get going." She nodded.

We were walking for about 10 minutes, in quiet.

"So you don't have a car?" She asked.

I assumed that she must be tired but the look on her face showed that it was only a question.

I shrugged. "My mom and Grover said I shouldn't, there's too much pollution in the air already and walking is exercise."

"Oh, I see." She said then stopped walking.

I turned around to face her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She looked down at the ground, hands behind her back. "Am I bother? You can tell me."

"No, why would you think that?" I hope I wasn't lying.

"Because you acted like it." She said.

"Sorry, I'm just worried of what my friends will think when they see you come to my work." I replied truthfully.

"Okay. I won't be a bother anyway. Where do you work?" We continued walking.

I scratched my head, thinking. "Hmm. I work at a restaurant."

After a few minutes of talking about SpongeBob SquarePants – because it's that awesome! – we arrived at the restaurant, Tría Megála.

"Tree-ah Megala?" She tried to say.

I shook my head. "It's pronounced as tr-air me-ga-la. It's Greek for Big Three."

She nodded.

I breathed in and out before opening the double doors.

"Percy!" Jason yelled from a table, cleaning the surface of the table.

I walked over to him with Annabeth following me. "Hey Jason."

"You're late. Zoe's gonna beat you to the pulp when she comes back from grocery shopping." He tilted his head to get a perfect view of Annabeth. "Who's this pretty chick?"

Stepping to the side, I let Jason examine her. "This is Annabeth."

Jason put a hand on my shoulder and smirked. "You finally have a girlfriend after 2 years, Percy? Or is she just those girls you fool around with?"

My eyes widened and I immediately punched Jason in the arm. "Shut up. Geez, Annabeth is just a friend."

Jason rubbed his arm. "All right, then maybe I'll-"

"You'll what?" Jason stiffened up at the voice behind him.

I couldn't quite see who it was but I _did_ recognize the voice.

"P-Piper!" He turned around to face her.

"Hey Pipes!" I smiled.

"Hi Percy, Zoe wants you in the kitchen and to warn you, she has a knife with her…"

I gulped and nodded.

Somehow, I forgot about Annabeth's appearance until she cleared her throat.

"Oh, I've never seen you around here before." Piper skipped over to her. "Are you Percy's new girlfriend, because I saw you two coming in together?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, she isn't. Don't assume things like that Piper, otherwise I'll tell Jason…" I smirked.

Piper blushed red as Jason walked up to us, looking utterly clueless. "Tell Jason what?"

Shooting a look at me, Piper pleaded from Jason's blind spot.

I sighed. "Nothing Jason. You're just too oblivious to know."

Jason snorted. "Speak for yourself, cousin. I remember when-"

"Let's not talk about Percy's past girlfriends, we want to talk to pretty grey-eyed girl over here." Piper gestured to Annabeth, who was standing next to me, slightly red in the face.

"All right, you girls talk and I try to survive Zoe's wrath." I said with an enthusiastic voice.

"I doubt. Zoe's gonna chop you to pieces." Jason muttered.

"Geez, even Thalia's more supportive than you." His face showed an offended look.

I walked over to the metal double doors – praying to come back out alive – and breathed in. Suddenly the doors swung open and a pair of small dragged me in.

"Wah-" Next thing I knew was that I was strapped tight in a chair with the light in my eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked, panicking.

"Don't worry Perseus. It's not a kidnap." The lights then turned off.

"Zoe? Where are you?" I couldn't see in the dark.

"I said…Don't worry." Then my chair was kicked over and I tumbled to the ground, groaning as my chin hit the hard floor.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I was devastated that Percy left me with his friends. What would happen if they kidnapped me and killed me? Well, I could haunt Percy for all eternity as his bad luck ghost. That actually sounds kind of neat!

"So, what's your name Blondie?" Piper nudged Jason in the stomach. "Ow!"

"So rude, Jason. You're blond too." She muttered.

"Oh…right. I forgot. Sorry." He scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

I sighed. "Don't worry, I get that name a lot. I'm Annabeth."

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth! I'm Piper and this lousy boy over here is Jason, Percy's cousin." Piper stretched her hand out to shake mine.

I shook her hand. "You too."

"So, Annabeth. How long have you known Water boy for?" Jason asked, leaning on a table.

"Two days." I responded.

"Two days huh? Then you and Percy aren't definitely dating." I nodded slowly, wondering why these people are talking about Percy's relationship.

"How long have you and Jason been dating for?" I blurted out, surprising myself with such a foolish question.

It seemed that I wasn't the only one surprised. Jason stood there frozen still and Piper was hiding a gushing red face.

"W-we're not dating!" Jason exclaimed.

"Y-yeah! W-w-w-why are you assuming we are d-d-d-d-d-dating?" Piper stuttered. Too much.

I shrugged. "Just looks like it. You two seem to act really comfortable around each other."

"But we're not dating! I would never dat-" Jason got facepalmed by Piper.

She had an irritated look on her face and I raised a brow. "Excuse me and Jason for one minute." Piper dragged Jason into a storage room.

I blinked and kind of smirked. They seem to like each other and are trying to deny. What do they call people who does that? Rejects? No…In denial! Yeah. In denial. They looked like interesting people and really nice too.

There was lots of noises coming from the metal doors that Percy went in through. Somehow, I was curious about what was happening so I walked over to the door only to find that it opened.

_THUD! _

I fell to the floor, moaning in pain because my head hit the hard ground. I felt a huge body on top of me and when I opened my eyes, I found Percy staring at me. It only took me a second to see how gorgeous his green eyes were. It reminded me so much of the sea.

"I'm so sorry!" Percy apologized as he got off the ground and reached a hand out.

I helplessly – hating the helplessness – took his offer. He pulled me off the ground and for some weird reason, helped me pat dirt off my clothes.

"Sorry again." He said, looking a little concerned.

Something was weird when he gave me that look, like my stomach started aching and I felt my heart hurt a little.

"Its ok-" I was interrupted by someone shouting.

"Percy! Where the hell are you?" A woman walked out of the kitchen, holding a whisk in her hand.

Percy scrambled to a table close by and ducked his head. "Uh…he's not here!"

Gosh, that guy was stupid.

The woman chuckled, flipping her silky black hair and eying the table where Percy was with her black eyes. "Percy let me tell you one last time, if you don't come out here and take the pain like a filthy man you are, you're dead!" She growled.

Immediately, he shot up from the table frowning like an upset puppy which looked so cute. He walked over to the woman, muttering curses.

"Good boy, now-" The woman stopped talking when she finally noticed me standing there. "Oh, I'm sorry but the restaurant isn't open yet." She gave me the sweetest smile.

"Ah, she's here with me." Percy said and the woman went straight back to death glaring him.

"I hope she's not one of your girlfriends you womanizer." She scowled at him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Please, even _you_ know I wouldn't do that to any girl…anymore."

The woman shook her head and looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry you're stuck with this shithead. I'm Zoe Nightshade, the owner of this restaurant."

Nodding uncertainly, I told her my name. At this time, Percy felt that it was right for him to escape but was caught.

"Where do you think you're going, Perseus?" He flinched at the name and turned to her.

"Please don't call me that…ever." She raised her brow and grinned.

"I'm sorry but you can't tell me what to do, now get back into the kitchen and help the chef!" She shouted and whacked Percy with her whisk.

He grumbled and stomped into the kitchen, leaving me with a stranger…once again! I sighed and felt really uncomfortable because of how intense this Zoe person was staring at me.

"Um…Is there something on my face?" I asked.

She shook her head and relaxed. "I thought Percy was lying about you being his girlfriend, I can tell when a girl is lying."

I blushed, feeling a little shocked at her statement. "I'm not dating him. I'm just staying at his house."

She raised a bro. "That's still not good enough for me to shrug it off. Percy is a very devious and stupid male who needs to be tolerated, I can't allow the fact that he has a lady living in his home."

Checking her pockets, Zoe got out a piece of card and gave it to me. "Call me if he does inappropriate things and if you need a job, we'll always be welcome to have you here."

I nodded, taking the little business card. _Why does she have one?_

* * *

The hours flew by fast and soon it was time to close the restaurant. I got to see Percy working with his friends and other workers and it shocked me to know how famous this place was. I was getting all my stuff ready to head home and Percy changed out of his uniform and into his casual clothes. He seemed a little pissed, probably from talking to all the girls he served. Something about flirting and seductive speaking. I don't care, as long as we got home so I can watch more SpongeBob with Tyson.

"Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" Percy shouted as he waved goodbye to Piper and Jason.

I also waved and they gave me a smile, making me feel happy. I've only known them for a few hours and it kind of felt like we were friends for years. I wondered which school they went to.

We walked in silence for a while.

"You seem to be getting along with Piper a lot." I looked up to see Percy grinning.

"Yeah, she's really nice." I nodded as I was going to turn.

Percy tapped my shoulder and pointed to another direction. "We're going shopping for a bit, mom requested it."

I nodded again and walked in the direction Percy pointed to.

"What school does Piper and Jason go to?" I asked out of nowhere.

It seemed to shock Percy a bit but he calmed himself down. "The same one as mine, Princeton. Me, Jason, Thalia and someone else I know actually met Piper at Princeton. It was a coincidence that Piper lived in the same area as Jason and Thalia. Oh yeah, Jason and Thalia are brothers and sisters."

I widened my eyes and looked up at him. "Really?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Yep. They're twins, not identical and Thalia is older than Jason by a few seconds. Shocking isn't it?"

From my expression, he knew I was shocked and didn't bother begging me to answer.

"So if you live in a dorm at Princeton, why do you work around your mom's area?" I've never had the experience of working or living in a dorm so this question was important.

"Well, it's just a summer job and I love the restaurant. Jason and I usually come here to work every spring, summer and winter break. Also, it's work experience because we have to provide for ourselves at Princeton." He informed with such great detail. Princeton must have boosted up his vocabulary because Sally told me how horrible he was at English.

"Oh, so I have to work as well?" It wasn't really a question, I was quite keen to work and from looking at the employers at Tría Megála, it's hyped me up.

"If you want but we do get pocket money every week and the school pays for our food. You only need the money for snacks, toiletries and stuff you want to buy outside campus." I nodded and wondered if I _should_ get a job.

"But if you're ever broke on cash, come to me and I'll lend you some- Oh we're here." We stood outside a massive mall.

It was about 4 stories high and the length was…long! You might ask why I seem like this, I was always at home studying and revising and my step- woman who shall not be named, would buy me my clothes. This is a big step for me and I'm willing to take it.

Percy took a glimpse at me and chuckled. "What? Never seen a mall before?"

I gave him a glare that said 'don't-say-another-word-or-I'll-kill-you'. He raised his arms up in surrender and started walking inside. I hesitated, should I go or not?

"Hurry up, slow coach!" He was already on the other side of the automatic double doors.

I ran up to him and was about to reach him but was forcefully pushed to the floor. I rubbed my sore but and quickly looked around to see who pushed me and didn't apologize. All I saw was a person who had dark black hair. I got up on my feet, irritated about the stranger. Then I froze. Where was Percy? Where'd he go? Where was I?

* * *

I panicked, scared to the bone. I felt so claustrophobic. So many people were walking around the place and it was hard to see which one was Percy. I found the nearest bench I saw and sat there, helplessly – again – wondering if Percy would ever come and find me.

It then hit me, what if Percy left? What if he suddenly forgot I was not there by his side and just left? What if he-

"Annabeth?" I slowly raised my head to the direction of the voice to find the man himself, looking worried. That all was shaken off with a grumpy frown. "Don't ever go off on your own."

I nodded, gazing up at his _still_ grumpy eyes.

"Geez, you're such a kid." I punched him at that moment.

"Ow!" Blowing my fist dramatically, I whipped my hair like those stereotypical girls, in chick flicks, except mines not in slow motion.

"Don't ever call me a _kid_, you understand?" He nodded, rubbing his pained arm like it made a bruise. I doubt, it was only a weak punch.

Percy then huffed and held my wrist. I looked down at it then back up at him. "I'm not losing you again and this it to make sure I don't."

My face heated up and being the smart person I am, I looked away to show no expression to what he was doing. I wasn't going to let him think differently, people can get red from embarrassment too!

We walked around the more once or twice with me pointing us to go to different shops. I got to buy lots of cool new clothes, mainly denim jeans, vests and tee shirts. I also bought some baggy clothes, jogger bottoms, jackets, boots, shoes and one or two dresses. Percy recommended the dresses – don't think of it in that way! I liked them too! – so I chose them.

Eventually, we finished off with Sally's shopping request and started to head home. It was getting late already and I was freezing cold. Apparently, New York was freezing cold near the nights and obviously I didn't know that since I was trapped inside my house for 19 horrible years. Percy saw my shivering and lent me his big and warm jacket. I couldn't decline the offer since he was being such a gentleman and he didn't mind so I guess it was alright.

"We bought you your clothes for Princeton and mom will deal with the more private stuff. Don't worry about paying us back as well." I stiffened.

"Why are you and your family being so nice and hospitalizing me? I'm just a stranger and you took me in like I'm a family." He sighed and looked up at the dark sky.

"My mother usually uses the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' and you're proof of it. I mean, you're the daughter my mom never had and for the past two days, I've started to like and get used to your appearance. Also, who wouldn't want to kidnap a sleeping angel from a tree?" He smirked and started walking again.

I knew it was a rhetorical question and the words he had just said was really sweet. 'Sleeping angel', now that sounded like he was flirting with me and even if he wasn't, it still worked because oh boy was I red. Wouldn't you blush when a guy says all that nice stuff and then suddenly tell you that you were an angel? Then he said 'like' and wow, that was basically a confession! I hope I'm not overreacting with all this because my mind is messed up right now.

Percy started giving me a weird look and I realized that I should hid the fact that I might possible – and I'm saying 'might' – like him.

"We should hurry before you get a cold, I can literally see your red face in the dark!" I nodded and started running and in no matter than seconds, Percy started running too.

We raced each other home and bet a dollar who'd make it home first. Obviously, I won and I was thrilled. Girls: 1, Boys: 0! I even asked if I could come to work with him tomorrow and he didn't hesitate to say yes.

I can't wait to see Zoe, Piper and Jason again!

* * *

**Thalico or Thaluke? Please answer to either PM or review! I need to know before Annabeth goes to college!**

**How'd you like it so far?**

**Good? Bad? Horrible? Awesome?**

**Well, let me tell you one thing that's bothering me. It's that I don't get anything about an American school. If you don't know, I'm British and live in London and know nothing about a normal American life. I literally struggling to make everything right! America and the England are different and I'm still young so I know nothing about college or university. How do I get facts about it then?**

**Well, I have my good friend Google and trustworthy pal, the TV to tell it all to me! **

**Help a friend in need and tell me all you know about university life!**

**Again, you've just read: Friends and Family**

**Next chapter coming to Fanfiction: I Swear I Know You**

**WARNING: Do not rush a writer whom might spoil the story with truly awful rushed words. **

**R&R!**

**~Dan and Nathan {BelieveThatDude}~**


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